. >> reporter: if the recent cease-fire between hamas and israel in the gaza strip holds, many think prices at the pump will drift lower. it also helps that u.s. refineries are producing ample supplies of gasoline. a.a.a. expects regular unleaded to end the year between $3.10 and $3.30 a gallon. but longer term, the price of gasoline depends on the strength of the global economy. >> my outlook right now for gasoline prices is, we are going to continue to come off some more? the thing with gasoline, you can't shove it down people's throats. they just don't have the money for higher oil prices. hence, that's going to put a cap on it. >> reporter: with only about a month left, 2012 is expected to be the most expensive year for gasoline ever. americans are expected to spend about $12 billion more to fill up their tanks this year compared to last. erika miller, "n.b.r.," new york. >> susie: what determines gas prices? as erika just reported, there's more to it than supply and demand. to learn more about prices at the pump, visit our web site, www.nbr.com, and look for the "nbr-u" tab. >>